Chapter 72: Chapter 72 – Decayed Souls

My mind is warm with bloodlust as I place my twisted creations around the house, encasing the home in an air of anticipation and fear. Gentle hands made of shadow place tendon-bound finger bones above windows and doors. Decorations to mark the occasion.

As I set the last, to hang lazily above a closed window, I pause to take in the sight and consider what it is that I’m doing.

These people most assuredly deserve all that I am about to bring to them, so why am I hesitating?

Am I doing what is right and proper, or using excuses to justify doing as I please? Does it even matter the difference?

I have claimed one woman’s life, but I needn’t raise her to life. I could leave her to burn in the sunrise or destroy her with my own fires. Why did I decide to take her, I certainly wasn’t planning it before coming here, and there’s nothing about her that’s especially unique.

Is it that I had mercy on her?

Was I afraid to kill her?

No, not at all. In fact, it was incredibly satisfying to end her life. To have the power to choose for myself whether she should live or die, was wonderful. Raising her as a slave might allow her existence to have continued purpose, and I know that I would be a responsible master, but…

It wasn’t long ago that I was truly and utterly ignorant about the world, especially on the topic of slavery. I think of myself as more mature now, but is that confidence deserved?

Shuffling in place, all the doubts and thoughts simply flow off of my mind like water off of a duck’s back. In my heart, I am confident and comfortable with myself and my actions, to the point that these moments of doubt are nothing more than a silly habit that I’m yet to lose.

I’m sure that my knight, the person that will one day stand by my side in life, will approve of all the ‘evil’ that I do. It is because of these nobles that so many people are dying, fleeing the city. Aldramodore is simply an evil creature making use of the moment.

As long as all these monsters are allowed to exist, the people of this kingdom will never know peace. My plans to beg for coins only bandage a bleeding wound, a proper healer must be prepared to deal with the origin of the sickness.

I step back onto the balcony and draw my dagger coated in slick frozen blood. I haven’t the time to linger here, so I must be done quickly.

The elderly man I first cross opens his eyes wide at the sight of me, but he barely summons the courage to raise a spell against me before I thrust into his chest and spread my frost through his veins.

His body fights to survive, there are even bursts of healing magic combating the damage done by my frost, but the man can’t beat me here.

“It’s okay,” I whisper, running shadows over his skin and covering his mouth with my hand. Frost directed down his throat freezes him in place. A few precise cuts shatter the joints in his hips, and I set him down at the seat by the table.

“I have other plans for you,” I say, withdrawing my table and leaving him to sit and recover while I gather his family for the feast.

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

I lick the blood trailing down my fingers as the young man’s body still twitches with the memory of life. It’s curious how the body still recalls living, even after the soul is gone. How much remains?

The older man is still sitting where I left him, the shattered limbs now fully removed, and layers of ice holding his blood inside. It should be enough to settle the hunger of the young vampire that I still hope to raise.

His limited healing magics should keep him from dying too soon.

Ollie has slithered into the empty home as I end the last of the family line. There are no children here, I’m not certain what to do when I have to deal with children, but I’m certain that I mustn’t kill them.

They still have the potential for change.

It would be an unacceptable evil.

Perhaps I should use the slave collars to keep the children… no, there should be no need for that. I’ll need to find some place that can take them in without causing me problems in the future. Perhaps I should seek some advice before I’m forced to face the problem.

Setting aside the scraps from my feast, I bundle up the living torso, glaring at me, promising vengeance. He will feed my undead servant, a woman who will be bound to follow my orders. I will be a just and righteous master. I must be, or else I will have no justification for the killings I’ve just done.

I will repair the broken noble and restore her humanity while keeping her in my service. Eventually, I will remove my influence over her.

“What are you?” Ollie asks, poking a finger at the bloodless corpse of a man that I just finished eating. She glances between me and my finished meal.

“Do I disgust you?” I ask.

“No,” she shakes her head quickly. “What are you? A predator of humans?”

“I suppose that you’re not incorrect,” I say, nodding slowly. “I am a vampire. A breed of undead, that is strengthened by drinking the blood of intelligent species and can raise others of its own kind.”

“Could you make me strong?” Ollie asks, her tail finding a fallen corpse and slowly wrapping around it, cracking bones as she treats it like some stress toy. “Can I become a vampire?”

“Perhaps,” I say, shouldering the man and treading a path back out to the balcony. “Could you bring that body, and also look away for just a moment?”

She looks back away as I use my shadow manipulation and transposition magic to move back away, trailing a path out to where I left the remains of the woman I hope to raise as one of my minions. Ollie follows trailing after me, dragging the corpse with her.

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“You would be under my authority if you chose such a fate,” I explain to the woman. “Those who become a vampire are forced into obedience to their ‘sire’ and it is not something that can be removed as a collar would be. My ‘sire’, Aldramodore, could order me to do whatever he wishes, and I could do the same to those that I raise with my curse.”

Ollie slows, her eyes peering at me with suspicion as she hears it.

Shouldering the woman’s corpse, using the old man’s fear to empower my strength so that I can carry both bodies, I continue back to my home estate. I can use the old slave shack to keep them for now.

“Why tell me?”

“This woman, she has failed as a noble. She has failed to be a proper person. They all have. So, it is right and good to steal away the powers and freedom that she has misused. As a criminal slave, she might be educated in her wrongdoings and eventually returned to her position.”

Ollie slowly nods in agreement with my conclusions.

“I think you could agree that it would be wrong to place you in the same category as this woman. If I were to grant you this immortal curse, then I would forever be in a position of power over you.” I explain standing taller as I turn to face her. A group of scavengers have sighted us in the street, but seeing the bodies, they quickly flee.

“I would not treat you as a slave,” I say firmly. “Yet, you have no reason to believe or trust me, and I do not know if I can trust you, either.”

“You don’t trust me to be your slave?” She hisses, the body she’s carrying cracking. It is more frustration and confusion than rage. It is an unusual situation, but the power relationship is relatively simple.

“A noble represents their people, but the people must also represent their community and the noble that they bow to. If a servant of mine murders an innocent, then it will reflect upon me,” I explain. “A slave can be forced into obedience, but as you are not a slave I must be confident that you will behave in a way that does not besmirch my name.”

Ollie slowly nods, smiling a little as she looks me up and down. We return to the estate in silence, and the guards look us over with worry when we enter through the gates. Several houses around the estate have become home to families associated with my house, and I must properly formalise the defence of my own small town here.

Locking the corpse inside the old slave shack with the old man struggling to keep himself alive, I call a few guards to stand watch over the building.

“Ignore the sounds of whatever happens within,” I explain. “Feel free to slay anything that breaks free and treat the threat as you would a vampire. Your lives are more important than this little project.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the norkit man salutes properly and sets his spear to his shoulder.

“Ollie, bring the corpse out to the gardens,” I say. “There is no good place for this sort of work, but at least the excess fluids can be absorbed into the soil out here. It should be a pleasant place to relax as I work.”

“What would you do to me?” Ollie asks. “If I wanted that power? Your power? Would I have to serve you?”

“I refuse to give this power to someone unwilling to serve me,” I explain, pausing by the flowers that have yet to properly bloom. They almost seem to be drooping with sleep in the night.

“What does that mean? Serving you?”

“I would only ask of you things that you could do,” I say, pausing as I consider her question fully. “Perhaps we can discuss the details and have a contract written, even. Though I intend not to force compliance to it, simply use it as a guide for what we intend our relationship to be.”

I draw my knife and begin work constructing more twisted effigies from the man’s corpse. Ollie leans in closer, watching my hands work with a curiosity that shines bright in her eyes.

“As a vampire, you would likely wish to drink blood. You would desire to hunt. So, I would ask for you to only hunt those that I wish to see dead. Criminals, noble or otherwise, who cause the kingdom and its people to suffer. You would protect those who I serve and those who serve me.”

Ollie nods slowly, agreeing with the idea.

“I want to be free,” Ollie says.

“What does that mean to you?” I ask. “You would be free to choose your partner for marriage, or play, or what have you. I would not intrude on your free time, whatever hobbies you intend to pursue is up to you. You would be paid properly to freely purchase what you want or need.

“You would not be free to leave my service as you like, however. Neither would you be allowed to kill, steal, or break the laws without my explicit permission.

“Is this freedom acceptable to you?” I ask, lifting my eyes from my work.

Ollie nods slowly, agreeing to the idea in essence but still nervous at the prospect of putting herself in my power. An understandable thing, considering the situation she’s found herself in.

“I could be powerful?” Ollie asks.

“I would not allow you to be weak,” I reply. “If you are to serve me in such things, then you must be forged into a proper knight, even if it will take time.”

“I accept,” Ollie nods quickly.

“Not yet,” I say, staring at her. She’s a little jumpy. Her willingness to accept this offer so quickly is concerning. She wishes the strength for revenge and she hasn’t fully considered the situation.

“You would become undead,” I explain. “This is not a thing to be treated lightly. Stay by my side and prove to me that I can trust you with this power, prove to me that you understand what it is that you’re asking for.

“Only then will I give you this terrible curse,” I stand, finishing my work with Ollie watching. Eventually asking if she can help. She is perhaps twisted enough to take to this curse even better than I have.

Staring down at the corrupted little figurines, I consider how I might use them when meeting with the merchants come daybreak.

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